


balancing act

by wyvernknighted



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Laurent needs a nap, M/M, Minerva is a lizard, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28327062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernknighted/pseuds/wyvernknighted
Summary: Laurent wakes up late to class after sleepless night. Even when he does make it to class, he soon gets roped into shenanigans for the sake of a friend.
Relationships: Gerome/Loran | Laurent
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	balancing act

**Author's Note:**

> For [mageknight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mageknight/pseuds/mageknight)
> 
> This came out kinda silly but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I hope you have a great day friend!! <3

A knock once, then triplicate. A voice that he was too tired to listen to.

She banged loudly once again and said, "Hey! Nerd! Time to wake up. Don't you have class, like now?"

Laurent opened his eyes groggily. He lifted his head from his desk and finally noticed Severa, who was glaring at him from across the room. His neck was stiff from the odd angle of his rest. Of course, not many doctors would recommend sleeping with their head at such an absurd angle. Not many people would recommend staying up until well past 3am working on a paper in a fit of inspiration. But Laurent, despite his often responsible and rational rituals, fell into bad habits during the semester. Now was no exception.

As he blinked slowly, his thoughts began to return to him. He perceived Severa's form in the doorway, her arms crossed and her foot tapping out an impatient beat. Each sound pounded against his temple, worsening his headache, which he just realized he had. He scrunched his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose with a groan. The fact that Severa was standing in the hallway as he slowly woke up and gathered himself, well that was a testament to her true feelings. She did not linger for idiots, and she knew that Laurent was not one. This, however, did not stop her from tapping her fingers against her arm, now joining the beat of her foot against the linoleum tile of their dorm hallway. The sharp tapping brought him back to the moment, reminding him that she was, in fact, waiting for an answer.

"I...must have fallen asleep at my desk." He finally said. "If you don't mind the imposition, what, might I ask, is the ti-"

"It's a quarter past noon. Like I said, don't you have class right now?"

"I, um..." He sighed, trying to remember the day. "It's Monday, right?"

"Nope, it's Thursday." Severa looked almost concerned now. "How much sleep did you even get?"

Laurent grimaced. "Certainly not enough." He slid his glasses onto his face. It brought Severa’s unamused expression into perfect focus. She had waited for him, he realized. The realization brought with it a small stab of guilt. “There’s no need to wait up for me. I’m causing you enough trouble as is.”

Severa scoffed. “Whatever. I was just reminding you, since it seemed like you were, y’know, going to sleep through class. The class that’s going on right now.” She turned away, stepping out of the dorm room. “Don’t say I never looked out for you, nerd.”

She shut the door with a snap, and Laurent was left blinking groggily in the silence. A moment passed before he processed the reply he had meant to say. “Thanks.” He said to the empty room.

Like a ball of yarn, unraveling strand by strand, thoughts flowed through his mind. Today’s date, his class, the time as stated by the clock on his bedstand, and lastly, Severa’s words. The film of exhaustion, which had obscured his understanding of this all initially, peeled back in one painful moment.

“Shit.”

In a sudden panic, he leapt from his chair and pulled on his coat.

* * *

He ran to the lecture hall more than walked, his cross-body bag swaying with each hurried step. It slammed into his side, heavy with notebooks and assigned reading that he insisted on bringing to lecture. His chemistry textbook for the class he was currently rushing to dwarfed the other texts at a lovely 800 pages. He had already read his assigned reading for class, but as he tried to summon the proper concepts in his head, he was coming up woefully blank. His mind did not run well on little sleep, and it didn’t help that it was the third time this week that he had stayed up late. Midterms aside, he needed to keep better track of his sleep schedule moving forward.

To make matters worse, the class he was rushing towards was taught by Robin, the head of the materials science department. He was an impressive academic, a scholar who Laurent had researched thoroughly before signing up for his class. And he was trying to show off his own ability as a student through his coursework and participation in the hopes that Robin would be his thesis advisor. This blip in attendance, then, was far more damaging than he would have wanted. It’s one thing if he’s late to a class that he does not give a damn about. It’s another thing entirely when this is the course he had been performing his best in for weeks.

He stumbled to a halt outside of the lecture hall, thankful that the door was closed. Through the rectangular window, he could see Robin writing on the dry erase board as he explained some concept. The formula looked alien to Laurent, so he was absolutely certain that he had retained nothing from the reading. At this point, however, it couldn’t be helped. He would have to go through one lecture without participating wholeheartedly.

Laurent cracked open the door to the lecture hall and slipped in, hoping to avoid Robin’s attention. It was a fairly large lecture hall and he had entered through the rear door, so there was hope. Yet as he stood in the rear of class, searching for an acceptable seat, he made eye contact with his professor. Robin paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow, before returning to his lecture. Mission failed.

Holding back the disappointed sigh that he so longed to release, Laurent turned away and sought out an open seat. There were only free seats in the back rows, and he found one close to Gerome, one of his friends in the class. He sat beside him so hastily, he almost did not notice the odd lump on his friend’s chest. He was wearing a hoodie, zipped up most of the way on the front, but an angular protrusion rose against the fabric. Laurent thought he was imagining it at first but, no, after a few skeptical blinks he perceived the same image. Gerome’s lizard, a striking green bearded dragon named Minerva, was currently relaxing on his chest. The tip of her snout peeked out of his jacket, and Laurent could’ve sworn he saw the flicker of her tongue stick out for the barest moment.

He made significant eye contact with Gerome, trying to screw his features into the closest approximation of “what in the living hell is going on?” without catching Robin’s attention. Gerome met his gaze nonchalantly and shrugged. He pulled out his phone and glanced down.

Laurent was already typing.

**[Laurent]:** Is that Minerva in your shirt?

**[Gerome]:** yeah

**[Laurent]:** Would you care to tell me why you brought your LIZARD to a LECTURE?

**[Gerome]:** I had to bring her with me

**[Gerome]:** She needed to be out of the room and Cynthia couldn’t help

**[Laurent]:** Wait, why can’t she be in your room right now?

Laurent glanced up at Gerome, who was chewing his lip in frustration. He took a few minutes to type out his response.

**[Gerome]:** the more we text the more obvious we are

**[Gerome]:** just let me explain after class

**[Laurent]:** Very well then. But I am not happy with this arrangement.

**[Gerome]:** weren’t you late to class today by like. 30 minutes .

**[Laurent]:** that is not the point!

Laurent grimaced at Gerome’s quiet cackle, just soft enough that only the pair of them (as well as Minerva) heard. Laurent switched off his phone with a huff and tried to focus on whatever Robin was talking about at the front of the lecture hall.

However, no matter how much he strained to pay attention, his thoughts kept wandering from the chemical formulas they were reviewing. Perhaps it was the lizard in Gerome’s jacket, or the mere fact that it was Gerome beside him in such an absurd situation. This was not the first time Gerome had smuggled Minerva into a class, but it was the first time in college.

When they had gone to high school together, Gerome would sometimes bring Minerva to school with him. He had even fashioned a highly mobile container that he could slip into his backpack. Minerva would balance on it, quietly observing Gerome and his peers while they giggled and tried to keep the teacher ignorant of their shenanigans. They rarely prevailed.

Yes this was an old habit of Gerome’s. Laurent had thought he had long outgrown it, but that was clearly not the case. As Robin scrawled new equations across the board, Laurent struggled to copy them down effectively. He found his gaze drifting towards Gerome more often than not. He couldn’t help but worry about his friend getting caught in the middle of lecture, chastised for the very justifiable offense of bringing one’s pet to class. A heavy knot of anxiety formed in his gut as he considered the different consequences of such an ordeal. When he counted out at least three different scenarios, he realized with a tired sigh that he had once again lost track of Robin’s solution to an example problem.

It did not help, Laurent knew, that his feelings for Gerome bordered on the edge of what one might consider platonic. They were old friends, having grown up in the same neighborhood, attending the same schools for years. When they had been accepted to the same university, Laurent counted himself lucky that he had such a constant friend, a calming presence amidst the chaos of attending university. And now that they had fallen into their routines of higher education, Gerome was still by his side. He could not trace the exact moment from which his fondness stemmed. But the trajectory of his heart was made abundantly clear to him some weeks ago, when Gerome mentioned that he had been set up on a double date.

Their mutual friend, Inigo, enjoyed taking Gerome as his wingman on such excursions. He felt that Gerome’s taciturn nature enhanced his own charisma, making him all the more brilliant in comparison. Regardless of the reason, the date fell through and Laurent was left feeling relieved of all things. He had not realized at first, that it was anxiety in his chest when Gerome brought up the date initially. He had not realized it was something that bothered him until that possibility nearly became reality.

Gerome was a steady presence in his life, one he had grown to rely upon. Thus, Laurent had decided that he would process his emotions slowly and carefully, the way one approaches a difficult chemical equation. He needed to balance the elements one step at a time, lest he make a mistake and ruin the outcome. If any advances on his end might destroy the friendship that he’s so long enjoyed with Gerome, well then it was not worth it. He would be a fool to forsake a friendship that has brought him such comfort. A relationship that is wholly comforting, that is, until Gerome exhibits his own chaotic habits. Such as bringing the lizard that he insists on caring for to lecture, to the one class that Laurent cannot, would not make a fool of himself in.

Today, Laurent decided as he lost his focus for the fifth time in as many minutes, is cursed.

By the time Robin was wrapping up his lecture, which was not long since Laurent had arrived so late, he had only copied down a few of the formulas and example problems they had reviewed. He looked at Gerome with an air of desperation.

“May I borrow your notes?”

“I’ll lend it to you after class.” As he said this, he zipped up his hoodie carefully. Minerva’s snout disappeared beneath the deep green dip of his jacket’s hem. He cradled the lump that was obviously his bearded lizard gingerly, watching Robin from across the room as he called the class to an end. Other students packed up their belongings quickly, streaming out of the lecture hall in waves. Under the cover of their departure, Gerome did not stand out as much with his additional companion.

“Do you really think that Robin did not notice?” Laurent asked as he began to pack up his belongings.

Gerome slid the strap of his backpack over his shoulder as he shrugged yet again. “It doesn’t matter as long as he doesn’t tell anyone.” He shifted his grip, and Minerva’s snout poked out of his hoodie again. Her tongue darted out and she blinked in greeting to Laurent. “Anyways, meet me outside in the courtyard. I’ll explain the, uh..”

“Right.” Laurent nodded. “You go on, I'll catch up. If you linger, there’s a greater chance for –”

Before he could finish his assessment of the situation, Robin interrupted from across the hall. “Laurent! I would like a word.”

Laurent jumped, his books almost slipping out of his grasp in a chaotic tumble. He just barely managed to keep a hold of them.

“Of course!” He shouted back, his voice strangled with the effort of trying to seem normal and not at all stressed over such a little thing. Gerome gave him a sympathetic clap on the shoulder before exiting, his other hand still preoccupied with balancing Minerva on his chest.

As Laurent approached Robin’s podium stand, he ran through the potential reasons why Robin would request his presence. It certainly was not in regard to his assignments. He had turned in their latest homework online last night, far before the deadline right before the beginning of class. His last long-form assignment had been impeccable, and the assignment before that had wrought him a perfect score, as well as comments from Robin on his submission page. Then, perhaps it was to give him a proper lecture on the due value of attendance in class. Yes, his lateness had certainly impacted his ability to participate. As he descended the final stair, he considered his options as to how to respond gracefully, tactfully. He was so absorbed in potential responses, he walked just a step too far, kicking the metal leg of the table beside Robin’s podium with what could only be interpreted as a yelp. He bit back a curse before his professor, who merely chuckled at him.

“Rough morning?” Robin was not angry, but friendly. Laurent felt himself relax, realizing that this encounter was likely not an antagonistic one.

“We are well into the afternoon actually.” He was able to return Robin’s question with a quip. It was the correct choice because at that his professor’s smile widened.

“Some days are just off.” Robin laughed. “That’s actually part of why I asked you to stay after. Are you doing alright? You came in pretty late today.”

“Please accept my deepest apologies. I overslept this morning, and it was only by a passing kindness from my roommate that I was able to attend class at all.” Laurent bowed his head. “It will not happen again, I assure you.”

“Ah, there’s no need to apologize!” Robin waved his hand lightly. “I just wanted to check in to see if you’re alright.”

“I’m doing just fine.” Laurent tugged on the strap of his side long bag. “Once midterms end, my sleep schedule will normalize and my health with return to normal. I just tend to get caught up in the work.”

Robin nodded. “I understand that. I also wanted to talk to you about your thesis. It seems that you haven’t chosen an advisor yet.”

Laurent struggled with all of his might to maintain composure. His grip tightened on the strap of his backpack, the fabric digging into the skin of his palm.

“Ah, yes.” Laurent said in a voice that was definitely normal and not strained under the weight of expectation over his future academic career. This was the perfect opportunity to propose his long-awaited request. He would not squander this chance. “I was actually wondering if you would perhaps consider being my advisor.”

“Oh, really?” Robin looked genuinely surprised. “I was going to recommend someone else, but if you’d prefer me as your advisor, I would love to.”

“Of course, only if you want to!” Laurent hastened to clarify, terrified that Robin was only saying yes out of pity.

“No, I think that could work quite well. We’ll have to talk about thesis ideas later on. You know my office hours?”

“Yes! Certainly. I will see about visiting you next week, perhaps.”

“Nice.” Robin paused, his expression changing just slightly. Laurent realized from his small frown that it was disdain. “Also could you tell Gerome that if he wants to bring his pet to class, he should at least email me first? I thought I was going mad when I noticed it.”

“Ah. Noted, sir.” Laurent stifled a laugh as he turned away towards the exit.

* * *

“So he did notice.” Gerome sighed as he fed Minerva chunks of sweet potato. “Damn.”

“You were not exactly exhibiting stealth. Your shenanigans from high school were more premeditated than whatever you were doing today.” Laurent chastised him half-heartedly. He could not muster the energy to actually be upset. Gerome ran a hand through his hair at his words. The two of them were sitting on a bench outside of the materials science building on campus. Minerva was relaxing on Gerome’s leg, soaking up the midday sunlight as she chewed on her treats.

“You’re right but I didn’t have many options. Lucina only told me that the resident assistant was making rounds this morning, and Cynthia had practice. If I didn’t take Minerva with me, they would’ve found her.”

“Have you considered that it might not be optimal to house Minerva in a dorm room with strict rules about pet ownership?”

Gerome glared at him and Laurent dropped the point, sighing. He took a swig of chilled coffee from the can. Gerome had bought them both drinks from the vending machine while he waited for Laurent to catch up. “Alright then. Are you taking her back to your room at least?”

“Nope. We’ve got another class in fifteen.”

“That’s—” Laurent choked on his coffee. “You’re ridiculous! Just because Dr. Robin was relaxed, that does not mean the next professor will be as forgiving!”

“It’s not like I have another choice.” Gerome scratched beneath Minerva’s chin. She chittered affectionately, and the grimace on his face melted away. He smiled genuinely, and Laurent felt incredibly vulnerable to the dangerous thing that was Gerome’s smile. He did not think when he next spoke.

“I will help. I will bring her back to your dorm room and look after her.” Laurent said with the utmost confidence.

Gerome frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely certain. Allow me to aid you.” Laurent said, trying to convince himself as much as Gerome. Even just sitting, he could feel the adrenaline rush from earlier fading. His exhaustion was returning. He could feel it from the weight of his limbs and the pound of his headache. But he could do a simple task for a most appreciated friend surely. And Gerome was his best friend after all. There was no one else he wanted to help more.

Gerome stared at him for a moment before looking away. “Very well then.” He pulled out his dorm key and gave it to Laurent. “Will you be comfortable carrying her?”

“Yes!” Laurent knew the proper way to hold a lizard, as it was almost a prerequisite to friendship with Gerome. He held out his arm, and Minerva crawled on to it happily. She carefully scaled along his upper arm and shoulder, settling with her head burrowed in the crook of his neck with a chirp.

“M-minerva, that tickles!” Laurent tried to keep still as she settled into place. He looked up to see Gerome staring at him with an inscrutable expression.

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing.”

Laurent raised an eyebrow. “It does not seem like nothing.”

“Whatever, it’s just…” Gerome paused, struggling for words. “I’m glad that the two of you get along.” Gerome surely was not blushing was he? No, Laurent was imagining it. A fantasy induced by his exhaustion.

He wrapped his jacket around Minerva, supporting her with one hand while he clutched his chilled coffee in the other.

“You should go to your next class. I’ll make sure she gets back to the dorm safely. You can count on me.”

Gerome smiled again, with a sincerity that made Laurent’s heart stutter just a bit. “I know.”

* * *

Laurent made his way to Gerome’s dorm room without much trouble. The worst he experienced was a few odd stares at the lizard he had cradled in his arms. But he carried on, gaze facing forward as he continued his journey across campus. He knew the way fairly well, since he visited Gerome near daily. He also knew to take the rear entrance, just in case the resident assistant manning the welcome desk was not Lucina. Lucina, as a long-time mutual friend of both himself and Gerome, would look past Gerome’s insistence on living with Minerva. It was the other resident assistants who were less forgiving, and he was not willing to take such a risk. This route, however, meant that he would have to walk up four flights of stairs to Gerome’s room on the fourth floor. It was during this leg of his journey that Laurent struggled the most, as his fatigue caught up with him.

He took the stairs one at a time, careful so that he would not trip and risk Minerva’s health. His legs felt leaden, weighted with the fatigue of several restless nights. The exertion also worsened his headache, which was verging into migraine territory now. The bright, fluorescent lights of the dorm worsened the pain. After two flights, he was panting deeply, sweat gathering on his forehead. He desperately wanted to shed his jacket, but since it was currently holding Minerva steady in his arms, he would have to suffer. After what felt like eons of effort, he reached to top of the fourth floor stairwell. He stood over the railing, glancing back down at the steps he had just endured. His body felt like a pile of frail twigs, thin enough to break from a light breeze. He felt the wet flicker of Minerva’s tongue against his cheek as she licked at his sweaty face.

“Thank you, Minerva.” Laurent said once he caught his breath. He knew that her little licks were signs of affection. He readjusted his grip, making sure that his support of her was solid before carrying on to Gerome’s dorm room.

He knocked, waiting to see if Cynthia was present. After a few beats of silence, he swung open the door. On one side, the walls were covered in university logos, bright posters and polaroid photographs. Cynthia had taken care to cover the walls of her side of the room with as many fun, motivating, and expressive images as possible. On the other side of the room, the walls were bare, save for a single cross stitch hoop hanging from the wall. It was a needlework gift from Gerome’s mother, depicting Minerva in green thread with a small red heart floating above her head. That gift is one of Gerome’s most treasured possessions, and the only thing, in his opinion, needed to decorate his wall.

“Nothing is better than that,” he had said once, when asked about it. “Why should I hang something next to it, when that’s the best thing I’ve ever received?”

Laurent did not exactly understand his sentiment, but he found his attitude endearing. The shift in decoration, from Cynthia’s side of the room to Gerome’s never failed to startle a newcomer to their dorm room. Luckily, Laurent was used to the unconventional space.

It took all of his willpower not to collapse on the spot as he stood in the doorway. Instead, he stepped inside and lowered Minerva gently to the bed. He followed Gerome’s instructions, finding her glass enclosure exactly where he had described. Though his limbs ached and his head pounded, he pushed himself to finish what he had promised. It took some time, but eventually he had everything set back up to perfection. He knew that Gerome would appreciate his attention to detail. Minerva crawled back into his arms when prompted, and Laurent set her into the enclosure. He flipped on her heating lamps and she blinked at him fondly. He gave her a polite smile before sitting back on Gerome’s bed.

He had intended to leave soon after, feeling that it would be odd to linger in Gerome’s room unattended. However, the sun lamps brought with them an undeniable warmth. His body was worn, his head still pounding with the headache he had suffered since waking up this morning. He leaned against the wall, assuring himself that he would leave in a just a minute. However, his fatigue soon overcame him, and he drifted to sleep on Gerome’s bed.

* * *

When Gerome cracked open the door to his dorm room, he had expected that perhaps Cynthia had returned by now. Instead, he was met with Laurent asleep on his bed. His head was slumped against the wall, his glasses still on his face. His jacket still hung from his frame, now in disarray from his awkward position. He at least had taken off his shoes. It seemed that, after placing Minerva in her enclosure, he had immediately passed out.

Gerome stepped forward lightly, careful not to make any noise. He slid Laurent’s glasses off of his face and placed them on his desk, where he knew they would be safe. He paused, unsure of what to do next. If Laurent remained in such a position for much longer, he would wake up with a horrible ache in his neck. Gerome sighed before steadily lowering him to the bed. When his head met the pillow, Laurent mumbled something incoherent, before turning towards Gerome.

This sort of situation was not unknown to Gerome. When they were in high school together, Laurent would sometimes fall asleep on his bed after they had stayed up too late. They often shared a bed during sleepovers because it was simply less trouble than working out a sleeping bag or couch situation. But in university, they had ended that habit because the beds were of insufficient size for two people. Now, glancing down at Laurent’s form, Gerome found himself wishing that were not the case.

He considered leaving to allow Laurent some privacy. But, if Cynthia arrived while he was away, Laurent would not fare well. She would wake him in an instant, since her very being was an expression of volume and energy. No, he should stay. As he considered his options for how to occupy his time, he found himself staring at Laurent.

Up this close, he could see that Laurent was exhausted. He hadn’t noticed it earlier in class because he had been so focused on Minerva, but now it was clear to him. Laurent’s eyes were underlined with deep circles, bruise-like and distinct against his pallid complexion. He also looked paler than usual, and he was wearing the outfit that he had worn the day before. Perhaps another sleepless night? He knew that Laurent sometimes suffered from insomnia. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he could shake Laurent awake and ask him himself. He settled for rearranging the hair on Laurent’s face, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

At the contact, Laurent leaned into his touch with a sigh. Gerome froze, his heart pounding against his chest and obscuring whatever thought he might have had. But then Laurent turned away again, wrapping himself in Gerome’s comforter.

He knew that having a crush on his best friend was inconvenient to say the least. But how could he not love someone like Laurent, who was always there for him? He was the sort of person who went out of his way to help those he cared for, even when saddled with exhaustion from a restless night. He was obviously fatigued, and yet he still offered to make Gerome’s day just a bit easier. Just thinking about it made Gerome want to cry, or kiss him, or both.

He settled for retreating to his desk instead. He pulled open his laptop and found something inane to distract himself with. He would much rather scroll through some social media feed than address whatever emotion he had just repressed.

It was only a matter of time before his resolve broke and he told Laurent the truth. He only wished that fate would be merciful upon him, and grant him a favorable outcome when that time arrived.

**Author's Note:**

> It normally takes me a while (read: months) to write something and post it, and I uh wrote this in about three days. It might be a bit messier than my usual stuff but I had fun writing it!
> 
> perhaps I will update this later with a follow up >:3c


End file.
